Transportable douche attachment

ABSTRACT

A douche attachment for easy attachment to a hand held shower heat comprises a nozzle, a cone having its reduced end attached to the nozzle and its enlarged end to engage the outer perimeter of the face of a shower head, and a elongated ring of thin flexible material attached at one end of the enlarged end of the shower head and adapted to be gathered behind the shower head and held in place by a velcro strap. The nozzle is formed of a tubular material having ridges and apertures in the valleys between the ridges. The small end of the cone may be attached to the nozzle by any suitable means and may be further formed to hold a screen in place at the entrance to the nozzle. The cone may be formed of soft vinyl which generally holds its shape but can be yieldably deformed. The thin flexible material may be secured to the enlarged end of the cone by any suitable means. The velcro strap is tightened after the enlarged end of the cone has been placed against the face of the shower head and the thin flexible material arranged over the shower head and its free ends gathered by the velcro strap. After douching, the velcro strap may be loosened and the douche attachment removed and cleaned and compacted and transported for use in another location or storage.

INTRODUCTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to douche attachments for shower heads, and moreparticularly to a douche attachment which will fit any shower head.

2. Prior Art

The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,193; Van Linge U.S. Pat. No.3,461,870; Mills U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,247; Scheuermann U.S. Pat. No.3,847,150; Gauthier U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,635; and Kabbaby U.S. Pat. No.4,642,100.

Zacks shows a douche attachable to a shower head by tying and thatincludes a bag 16 a portion of which is disposed so as to catch waterfrom the shower head which is then delivered by tubing 20 to a nozzle21. Van Linge would insert an intermediate pipe 12 between the plumbingof the household and the shower head 13, the intermediate pipe 12including a valve to divert water to a nozzle 18 via tubing 15. Millsand Scheuermann also include plumbing inserts between the shower headand the plumbing of the house.

Gauthier shows a portable shower head. The free end of the shower head10 is formed with an annular, radially outwardly extending flange 20which is adapted to receive a diametrically enlarged, generallycupped-shaped, relatively flexible coupling or attaching skirt 24integral with a douche tube 22 and having a flexible, angular, radiallyinwardly turned lip 25 on the marginal edge thereof for engagementbehind the flange 20 on the shower head 10 to retain the douche to theshower head. He also shows a fixed shower head having an axiallydownwardly projecting douche attaching fitting 63 and to which anenlarged, quick-connect coupling 101 on a douche is fitted.

Kabbaby is another one introducing plumbing between the householdplumbing and the showerhead to accommodate douche apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a doucheattachment for shower heads which does not require any special plumbing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a douche attachment whichis usable with any portable shower head.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a douche attachmentwhich is easily attached to any portable shower head.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a douche attachmentwhich is inexpensive of construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a doucheattachment which is compact and easily transported.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a simple doucheattachment which can also hold a medical pill.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a douche attachmentwhich is readily reusable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a douche attachment whichis easily manufactured.

The objects of the invention are in part achieved through the extensiveuse of plastics. A plastic nozzle that is centrally apertured has itscentral aperture communicating through radially extending aperturesformed along the length of the nozzle, with areas to be bathed. Thesupply end of the nozzle is connected to the reduced end of a cone ofsoft vinyl. The enlarged end of the soft vinyl cone is connected to alight and flexible plastic generally of a cylindrical shape and havingat its other or free end an attachment mechanism such as a velcrolocking strap. The free end of the cylinder of light plastic would bedrawn over a shower head and the velcro locking strap adjusted to wherethe douche attachment would be secured upon the shower head.

A screen may be placed inside the douche attachment where the nozzlejoins the soft vinyl cone to restrain the outward movement of anymedicinal tablet which may be placed within the cone to be dissolvedduring the douching operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from a reading of the following description, whenconsidered with the appended drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the disposable douche attachment;and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle taken along the line 2--2of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings a nozzle is generally indicated by thenumber 10. It is a longitudinally extending piece about four inches inlength and tapers toward the free end. The nozzle 10 is provided withfour ribs or ridges 12 which as best seen in FIG. 2 defines a somewhatrectangularly shaped nozzle in cross-section. The nozzle is formed fromtubular material to define a central conduit so that fluids may flowdown the inside of it. Apertures 14 are formed in the valleys betweenthe ridges 12 and allow the outflow of water passing down the conduitinside of the nozzle 10.

The other or non-free end of the nozzle terminates in a annular ring 16which is circular.

Attached to the non-free end of the nozzle is a cone 18 formed of softvinyl or other yieldable but form holding material, the cone walls beingsufficiently thick to generally retain the shape of the cone. Thereduced end of the cone engages the annular ring 16 on the non-free endof the nozzle so as to securely hold the two together. The securing maybe by various methods such as friction fit, cement, or a lip formed onthe reduced end of the cone so as to rest behind the annular ring on thenozzle.

The enlarged end of the cone 18 is secured in any well known manner tothe one end of a cylinder of soft flexible material 20. The other orfree end of the cylinder of soft flexible material 20 carries on itsexterior in any suitable manner a locking strap 22 of velcro or thelike. The cylinder of material 22 is intended to fit over the head of ahand held showering device 24.

To accommodate the use of medicinal tablets in showering operations, ascreen 26 may be secured in any suitable manner across the end face ofthe non-free end of the nozzle 10 inside the cone 18.

In installation, the attachment would be placed such that the enlargedend of the soft vinyl cone engages face of the head of the shower device24. The soft flexible material cylinder 20 would then be arranged behindthe head and velcro strap 22 on the free end thereof adjusted so as totightly embrace the back of the head thereby precluding the doucheattachment from leaving the head when water under pressure was admittedto the showering device 24.

In use, after being installed on the head of the portable showeringdevice 24, the douche attachment would be used in normal fashion.Admission of water to the shower head would result in the flow of waterfrom the apertures 14 in the nozzle 10. Any medicinal tablet placed inthe cone 18 prior to installation of the douche attachment on the showerhead would result in its treatment of the water entering the nozzles 10.It would of course be kept in place and from clogging the nozzle conduitby the screen 26.

Waterproof attachment of the douche attachment to the shower head is notnecessary as the device is being used in a place adapted to accommodatewater in and around the place, to wit in a shower.

It will be appreciated that the applicant that applicant has invented adevice which is compact, portable and easily installed. It can bereused. Parts are inexpensive since they are all made of plastic whichcan be fabricated in mass quantities from inexpensive materials.

While applicant has shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, itwill be understood that other and different embodiments utilizingprinciples of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly it is intended that the invention be defined only bythe spirit or scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a douche attachment, a nozzle, a cone whosereduced end is attached to the non-free end of the nozzle, and a ring ofthin flexible material attached at one end to the enlarged end of thecone and adapted at its other end to be gathered behind a shower head.2. A douche attachment according to claim 1, and means for gathering thefree end of the thin flexible material.
 3. A douche attachment accordingto claim 2, wherein the gathering means is a velcro strap.
 4. A doucheattachment according to claim 1, wherein the cone is formed of ayieldable material.
 5. A douche attachment according to claim 4, whereinthe yieldable material is soft vinyl.
 6. A douche attachment accordingto claim 1, wherein the nozzle is formed of a tubular material.
 7. Adouche attachment according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle isconstructed with ridges.
 8. A douche attachment according to claim 7,wherein apertures are formed in the nozzle in the valleys between theridges.
 9. A douche attachment according to claim 6, wherein the nozzleis tapered towards its free end.
 10. A douche attachment according toclaim 1 wherein a screen is placed at the entrance to the nozzle fromthe cone.
 11. A structure for attaching a douche nozzle to a shower headcomprising a cone having a reduced end for attachment to the nozzle andan enlarged end for attachment to a shower head, and an elongated ringof thin flexible material attached to the enlarged end of the cone forgathering behind a shower head.
 12. A structure according to claim 11,and means on the free end of the ring of thin flexible material forgathering the material behind the shower head to hold it in place.
 13. Astructure according to claim 12, wherein the gathering means is a velcrostrap.